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Takeaways From Penn State Wrestling's Rout of Michigan

The Nittany Lions extended their NCAA-record win streak to 84 matches with a dominant performance against the Wolverines.
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling coach Cael Sanderson reacts during a Big Ten match against the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling coach Cael Sanderson reacts during a Big Ten match against the Iowa Hawkeyes. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Penn State wrestling continued its march toward a sixth straight perfect season Friday, routing Michigan 38-3 in a Big Ten match in Ann Arbor. The Nittany Lions breezed to their NCAA-record 84th consecutive victory, extending a win streak that is six years long.

Next, Penn State (13-0) returns to State College for match of the season in college wrestling. The top-ranked Nittany Lions will host No. 2 Ohio State on Feb. 13 at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Buckeyes remained unbeaten with a 24-9 win over Iowa at home Friday.

What did we learn from Penn State's performance at Michigan? The takeaways from an entertaining match, even in a blowout.

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The stage is set for Penn State-Ohio State

First, a peek ahead. The most anticipated match of the college wrestling season is set for Feb. 13 at the Bryce Jordan Center. No. 1 Penn State will host No. 2 Ohio State in duel of unbeatens for the Big Ten regular-season title. The Buckeyes also seek to end Penn State's win streak.

Ohio State enters the match with a 17-0 record for the first time in program history. The Buckeyes fell behind Iowa 9-0 on Friday night but won the last seven bouts in a 24-9 victory.

That included a dramatic moment at 184, where Dylan Fishback defeated Iowa's Gabe Arnold 4-1 in sudden victory. Arnold initially was called for the winning takedown, but Ohio State challenged, and Fishback was awarded the winner instead.

Ranked wrestlers will be everywhere at the Bryce Jordan Center. At 125, Penn State's top-ranked Luke Lilledahl will face No. 2 Nic Bouzakis. At 133, it's No. 4 Marcus Blaze vs. No. 2 Ben Davino. Ohio State's Jesse Mendez is the top-ranked, two-time NCAA champ at 141.

There will be top-10 bouts at 149, 157, 174, 184 and 197. Penn State still has the advantage, with six No. 1 wrestlers to Ohio State's two, but the Buckeyes are best positioned to pull the upset of anyone in college wrestling.

Some subplots are in play as well. Rocco Welsh will face his former team after transferring from Ohio State to Penn State after last season. And before the National Invitational Duals, which Ohio State won last November, Buckeyes coach Tom Ryan called Penn State's absence "a sign of how they see things."

"I think it's a shame that Penn State's not here," Ryan said on the Saturday Night Lights podcast. "We can stick to the positives, but I think the fact that they're not here is a bit of a sign of how they see things and do things. They should be here. They're not."

Should be a compelling night at the Bryce Jordan. The match is scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET start on Big Ten Network.

Penn State's continues its breathtaking dominance

Even as the four-time defending NCAA champ, Penn State somehow has found a way to further separate itself from the rest of college wrestling Friday night in Ann Arbor. The Nittany Lions won nine of 10 bouts against 11th-ranked Michigan, scoring five technical falls.

Penn State has blown through its opponents this season by an astounding combined score of 544-34. No team has won more than two bouts against the Nittany Lions, who are a combined 120-10 in individual match bouts. In the Big Ten, Penn State is 65-5.

And the Nittany Lions never stop being relentless. Top-ranked Levi Haines (174) scored three takedowns in the final minute for a technical fall. No. 1 Josh Barr did the same at 197. In between, Welsh had a decision in hand against seventh-ranked Brock Mantanona but still shot for a takedown in the final 20 seconds. He got it to win 8-1.

Penn State has another freshman gem in Nate Desmond

How many All-Americans could Penn State have at 141 pounds alone? Aaron Nagao was a serious contender before a lingering shoulder injury ended his season. Then Braeden Davis filled the spot after placing fifth at 133 last season. On Friday, freshman Nate Desmond subbed for Davis and scored another compelling victory.

Desmond scored an athletic takedown to top Michigan's Dylan Ragusin, a sixth-year senior and 2024 All-American, 8-5 in sudden victory. Desmond improved to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in duals, all at 141 pounds, even though he began the season at 125 pounds.

In fact, Desmond is the only wrestler to beat top-ranked Luke Lilledahl this season, doing so at a December tournament. The loss didn't count against Lilledahl's record, because he competed against a teammate.

And that list doesn't include Masanosuke Ono. the Japanese world champion who is redshirting for Penn State this season while he adjusts to college wrestling. And though he's redshirting this season as well, Desmond has wrestled some exciting bouts and underscores just how deep Penn State is at the weight class.

Penn State's Murderers Row looks unstoppable

In matches that start at 125 pounds, teams looking to upset Penn State must get a huge lead before intermission. Otherwise, they're bound to crumble beneath Penn State's run of four top-ranked wrestlers.

Michigan's best wrestlers compete in the upperweights but were little match for Penn State. The foursome of Mitchell Mesenbrink, Haines, Barr and Welsh produced three technical falls and a decision and scored 66 points.

According to Wrestlestat, all four wrestlers are in the top 12 of the Hodge Trophy standings, with Mesenbrink, Barr and Haines ranking first, third and fourth, respectively. Their combined record is 62-0, and all four are serious NCAA title contenders.

Cole Mirasola could be dangerous

Penn State's Cole Mirasola wrestles Nebraska's AJ Ferrari in the heavyweight bout during a Big Ten dual meet.
Penn State's Cole Mirasola, left, wrestles Nebraska's AJ Ferrari in the heavyweight bout during a Big Ten dual meet. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mirasola, Penn State's redshirt freshman light heavyweight, gave up several inches and nearly 27 pounds to Michigan's fifth-ranked Taye Ghadiali in their match-closing bout. Despite that, Mirasola gave Ghadiali a headache, particularly late in the third period.

Mirasola had a good look at a takedown before time expired in Ghadiali's 5-1 victory. Ghadiali used his size advantage to score the only takedown and get the riding-time point. But Mirasola could test him in the postseason and, if he can add weight in the offseason, will grow into a contender at the weight class.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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